KICKER MILO HOPES TO SHARPEN AIM.
REGINA — Before the Saskatchewan Roughriders headed east to face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week, Saskatchewan head coach Corey Chamblin was asked about Chris Milo.
The Roughriders’ punterkicker had missed one of three field-goal attempts in a 30-24 CFL victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sept. 7, leaving his success rate for the season at 73.3 per cent (22 for 30).
So where, Chamblin was asked, was his patience level with Milo?
“He’s still here, so it must be pretty good,” the head coach replied. “When I lose patience, everyone can tell.
“Milo’s doing a good job for us. He had to do three (jobs) for us (in Winnipeg) and that’s always a task and a load. If he can do those for us again, it’ll be good. He just needs to be more accurate on his field goals.”
Milo hit his only fieldgoal try in Sunday’s game, providing all of his team’s points in a 28-3 loss to Hamilton. He’s now at 74.2 per cent for the season (23-for31), better only than the 70.8 per cent of the Ottawa Redblacks’ Brett Maher among the league’s kickers.
Milo’s field-goal percentage in 2014 is a far cry from the 88.5 he recorded last season, when he hit his first 28 attempts to tie Dave Ridgway’s club record. Milo’s goal, of course, is to recapture his previous form.
“I’m just trying to get into a rhythm again,” he said. “We were training a new holder (Josh Bartel, since replaced by Weston Dressler) at the beginning of the year, so there was adapting to that. Now I’m adapting to a new snapper (Brian Peters, who stepped in for an injured Levi Steinhauer).
“But at the end of the day, you’ve just got to line up and kick the ball no matter who’s holding it or who’s throwing it back there.”
Milo is in regular contact with kicking guru Don Sweet, who is mentoring several CFL kickers. Members of that group also look out for each other, sending along tips when they see something in one another’s swing.
“It’s a good brotherhood we’ve got going on,” Milo said with a smile.
Milo has been handling all of Saskatchewan’s kicking this season, but he added the punting duties after Bartel suffered a hamstring injury in the Labour Day Classic.
Milo averaged 46.5 yards (and 40.8 net yards) in the Banjo Bowl before posting a 41.6-yard average (with a 29yard net average) in Hamilton. The 27-year-old product of Montreal did all three jobs in his first season with Saskatchewan in 2011, so it’s not a foreign concept to him.
“You feel more involved in the game (doing all three),” said Milo, who hit 84.6 per cent of his field-goal tries and punted for a 43.2-yard average as a rookie. “You’re always on your toes and you’re always ready to go no matter what, which I think is a positive.
“Last year was a bit different with Ricky (Schmitt as the punter) and I was just concentrating on one thing. That was also a positive, where you have just one thing to focus on. “I enjoy doing all three.” Because he has done all three before, he understands the mentality that goes into the jobs.
A poor effort in one can’t affect his work in his other areas of responsibility.
“Your next kick is your best kick — and that goes for punting or field goals,” Milo said.
Special teams co-ordinator Bob Dyce said he has been pleased with Milo’s work this season, including his directional punting and his field-goal kicking (which Dyce said “is working in the right direction”).
The Roughriders announced Thursday they had signed former University of Manitoba offensive lineman Kwinton Albino to the practice roster.